s-Triazine compounds have diverse applications as herbicides, resins, and disinfectants. The s-triazine herbicides, such as atrazine, help promote high-yields and sustainability in agricultural crops.
Melamine, or triamino-s-triazine, is a high volume industrial chemical. Melamine-based polymers have outstanding thermosetting properties, are ideal for their use in kitchen utensils and plates, and as high-pressure laminates such as Formica, and as whiteboards. Di- and tri-chloroinated isocyanuric acids find widespread application as disinfectants, algicides, and bactericides. The chlorinated isocyanuric acids are used in water treatment, in the textile industry as bleaching compounds, and in preventing and curing diseases in husbandry and fisheries. A major use of these compounds is for swimming pool chlorination. They have outstanding performance for maintaining an elevated, stable, chlorine content by dissolving slowly in water, allowing a continuous metered dosing of chlorine.
Degradation of these and other s-triazine compounds results in the production of cyanuric acid (FIG. 1). Cyanuric acid has come under increased scrutiny because of its potential involvement in co-mediating toxicity resulting from the ingestion of melamine (Puschner, B., et al., 2007. J Vet Diagn Invest 19:616-24). Recently, melamine has been found in adulterated pet food and baby formula. Melamine and its metabolite cyanuric acid co-crystallize at low concentrations and are implicated in acute renal failure in cats that have consumed adulterated food products (Puschner, B., et al., 2007. J Vet Diagn Invest 19:616-24). Cyanuric acid degradation is also of interest from the perspective of environmental remediation. The use of di- or tri-chloroisocyanuric acid in pool water results in spontaneous chemical dechlorination that disinfects the water, but also produces as a by-product large amounts of cyanuric acid. High levels of cyanuric acid perturb the equilibrium of dissolution of chloro-cyanuric acids preventing dechlorination by additional chlorinated isocyanuric acid. If this happens, disinfection is not achieved. As a result, swimming pools must be emptied and refilled, using water and causing discharge issues. It would be desirable to remediate pool water in situ, maintaining disinfection ability, conserving water, saving money and extending pool water use.